Despite his 6-4, 308-pound frame, offensive tackle Rashad Butler can fend off bull-rushing defenders with the feet of a ballet dancer.

“Rashad is the picture of consistency,” right tackle Eric Winston said. “He's been very reliable, and he does everything really well. He doesn't seem to have any outstanding flaws.”

That's exactly what the Carolina Panthers saw in Butler when he played at Miami with Winston and center Chris Myers, another Texans teammate. Butler was relatively unknown until his junior year when he started the final eight games in place of Winston, who had suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Carolina selected him in the third round of the 2006 draft and saw him as a project. At 290, Butler was an undersized offensive tackle, but they expected him to get bigger in the NFL.

Butler was inactive his rookie season, and strangely, he lost weight and was cut after training camp in 2007. The Texans quickly picked him up and discovered he had ulcerative colitis, which had prevented him from gaining muscle.

Butler played eight games on special teams during the 2007 season and was inactive for 16 games last season.

Swing man

In February, when the Texans released swing tackle Ephraim Salaam, they committed to Butler.

“We knew we wanted Rashad as our swing tackle,” Kubiak said. “We made the moves to keep him. That's a lot on his plate, but he's handled it very well.”

Butler signed his one-year tender offer in April and will likely serve as a backup to Winston and Duane Brown.

He can play either left or right tackle, and he's an asset to the team in the event of an injury. Butler said he's feeling well and has enjoyed the competitive nature of training camp.

“The competition has been really good,” Butler said. “The starters are competing with each other to get better, and the second-string guys like me are trying to compete for a starting job.”

In practice, Butler typically protects the quarterback from defensive ends Tim Bulman and Connor Barwin, and he said their different dynamics have helped his development.

“Connor's more of a speed guy, and Bulman's more of a power guy, and I'm getting a good mix of both,” Butler said. “ They're good players, and it helps me to try to contain them.

Much improved

Off the field, players say Butler is a shy and gentle giant who has a knack for randomly making a humorous comment in a conversation. Winston said that despite Butler's abundant talent, he often worries about disappointing the coaches.

“I have to prove that I can be there every week,” Butler said. “I don't want to slip up. I want to make sure they know my plays in and out, and I don't want to be the guy that makes mistakes. I'm much more mentally prepared to play than I have been in the past.”

With that preparedness, Butler is much more comfortable in his role, and Kubiak has seen his confidence boosted because of it.

“Rashad's probably one of the most improved players on the team,” Kubiak said. “This year, with his role, we're looking for his career to really take off.”